Sarawak SEDC To Start Upgrading Flagship Properties Early Next Year
December 21, 2008 15:48 PM

KUCHING, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Economic Development Corporation's (SEDC) five-year plan to upgrade its tourism flagship properties in view of changing times and new market trends is expected to start early next year, its chairman Datuk Talib Zulpilip said today.

He said SEDC's upgrading plans included refurbishment of the Kuching Waterfront, hotels (Holiday Inn Kuching, Crowne Plaza Riverside Kuching), as well as the Sarawak Cultural Village and Top Spot Food Court here so as to remain competitive.

"It (exercise) will take a few months to complete. The budget has been approved and sourced from our own internal funds," he told reporters at the reopening ceremony of the Sarawak Plaza shopping complex here by Kuching Hotels Sdn Bhd chairman Tan Sri Bujang Mohd Nor.

Located in the city's central business district along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman here, Talib said RM3 million was spent on refurbishing the complex but SEDC would maintain the rental rates for the time being to assist the 41 tenants during these current economic downturn.

The refurbishment to improve the ambiance and facilities to make it more user-friendly to both shoppers and tenants took almost two months.

First opened for business in November 1985, the Sarawak Plaza, owned by Kuching Hotels, a subsidiary of SEDC has remained one of the premier shopping complex here.

Talib added that SEDC would not shelve or postpone its plans for the overall exercise even though the economy was not doing very well because the cost involved would be low now.

"We will continue to complement the state's efforts in promoting Sarawak as a premier tourist destination, bearing in mind that tourism is one of the key development strategies under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score)," he said.

SEDC's involvement in the tourism industry dates back to 1976 with the opening of the first international hotel, Holiday Inn in Sarawak, followed by Riverside Majestic Hotel in 1992.

The Kuching Waterfront project was opened in 1993 and is regarded as one of the best examples of urban regeneration and rehabilitation projects in Asia as old shop houses and international-class hotels are nestled within a 500m radius.

BINTULU, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Government plans to appoint a group of specialists from Australia to conduct a human resource study to meet the industrial need in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) project, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said today.

He said the special study group would be appointed by the end of this year to look into the type of skills and knowledge required by the various industries involved in Score as well as in the project's spin-off activities.

He was speaking to reporters after officiating the Gulf Golden International Flying Academy (GGIFA) hangar and witnessing the handing over of training aircraft from Airflite Limited Australia and Cessna USA to the academy.

Taib said the group would conduct the study in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) which is expected to be completed in two years' time.

He said the study was vital at the early stage of the Score project implementation to make sure that the workforce, particularly Sarawakians, attained the right skills and knowledge required in this corridor development programme.

Taib, who is also the State Minister of Resource Planning and Management, said his concern was more on the human capital development as the basic infrastructure for the development of Score project had been in place.

The chief minister said the state government had agreed to offer a 30 percent discount to GGIFA for the price of a 45-acre land here that the academy had earmarked as the site for its new campus.

He said the discount would be given upon the completion of the project.

Earlier, GGIFA executive chairman Datuk Morshidi Abdul Rahman said it had requested for the discount as the cost of the whole area estimated at about RM120 million was deemed as "quite high".

He said at present the academy was training 120 trainees, comprising 60 from Sarawak and the remainder from Sri Lanka, Iraq, Iran, Singapore and Brunei.

GGIFA had also set up an office in India with the intention to facilitate recruitment of students from the country, he added.

Intigrati Sdn Bhd has committed RM100mil to build a technical college for Sarawak Corridor of Renewal Energy while Musyati Sdn Bhd is expected to invest RM30mil to build hotels and restaurants.

The five companies signed triparite agreements for licences to occupy the land with state-owned Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp (STIDC), Tanjung Manis Food and Industrial Park Sdn Bhd and Halal Industry Development Corp.

Also sealed at the ceremony was a sales and purchase agreement between STIDC and Tanjung Manis Food and Industrial Park for 1,012ha of land.

The halal hub is expected to involve the development of 16,000ha. Factories will be set up to produce halal food for the export markets.

Federal and state cabinet ministers, federal and state government officers, thousands of people from all walks of life, various races and religions were on hand to greet the prime minister who arrived at 3pm.

To mark the launch, six Taiwanese and three Malaysian investors will sign a land lease agreement and receive the permit to enter the project site.

Aquaculture, biotechnology and livestock projects will be implemented apart from setting up halal food processing estate and research and development centre.

Under the economic stimulus package announced in November last year, the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation was tasked with developing Tanjung Manis.

It was allocated RM135 million to develop basic infrastructures for the hub.

Since the project was announced at the World Halal Forum in Kuala Lumpur in May 2008, the corporation received many proposals for halal-based industrial projects worth not less than RM2 billion, covering 47,000 acres.

The projects are expected to generate 3,000 jobs for locals.

The Tanjung Manis new township project started in 1990 with timber industries and has since diversified into deepsea fisheries industry, poic-palm oil industry cluster), petroleum and gas-based industries and shipping industry.

The launch of the halal hub is expected to increase diversity of the existing economic activities in Tanjung Manis.

TANJUNG MANIS: Sarawak's Halal Hub here charted a remarkable start with the signing of more than RM9 billion worth of investment agreements on the first day of its official existence.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who launched the 16,000ha Halal Hub, the largest in the country, witnessed the signing of the investment agreements by local and foreign investors.

The investments in the hub, which falls under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy or Score, were for a variety of livestock and food production related industries, a technical college and a 3-star hotel in this once quiet fishing village.

"The launching of the Halal Hub here today is testimony of the government's commitment towards the well-being of the people.

"This is not an exclusive project but rather an inclusive project that will benefit the locals," Abdullah said at the launch yesterday.

"The locals must be trained to play a part in the specialised industries like biotech, aquaculture and food production. We don't want the locals to be mere spectators."

The prime minister also urged future industries in the area to give priority to local workers.

He urged locals here and the surrounding areas to grab the opportunities and not wait for the government to persuade them.

"All elected representatives must also ensure that the people are aware of the opportunities presented by the creation of the Halal Hub here. This is the biggest and the most important growth area in the country."

Abdullah also called on the government and private bodies to set up skills training institutes in areas where industries were expected.

"We must prepare our people before the industries start operation, not after."

Abdullah said the Federal Government would continue to support the Sarawak government in its endeavours to attract investors.

"With the completion of Bakun (hydroelectric dam) and the expected commissioning of the Murum (hydroelectric dam) by 2010, we should have between 9,000 and 10,000MW of electricity for our energy intensive industries.

"Tanjung Manis, with its natural inland port and with the Halal Hub, would eventually be connected to the surrounding areas like Mukah with good infrastructure. Tanjung Manis is an integral part of Score," Taib said.

The Halal Hub is being developed by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STDIC) with close cooperation with the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC).

Government Mulls Sending Surplus Energy From SCORE To Peninsular Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- The government is considering transmitting excess hydro power generated at the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) to Peninsular Malaysia, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz said the surplus energy might also be sent to Sabah and Kalimantan, an Indonesian province bordering Sarawak.

The government would nevertheless focus on development of heavy industries first so that the energy produced could be fully utilised in Sarawak, he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (BN-Mambong) during question time.

He had asked whether the surplus energy from SCORE would be channeled to Sabah, Kalimantan or Peninsular Malaysia.

Earlier, replying to Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) on SCORE, Amirsham said though the real impact from SCORE is still too early to be seen, several indicators showed encouraging performance especially in terms of investments.

Thus far, close to RM80 billion worth of projects have been committed to SCORE's development vis-a-vis RM34 billion investment target until next year, he said.

He said foreign investments are mainly from the United States, China and Japan.

The bulk of the investment commitments are in the sectors involving huge investments, particularly in heavy industries, such as aluminium smelting and energy generation, he said.

Under the Mid-Term Review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the minister said RM2.5 billion has been allocated to SCORE, one of the five regional development corridors being implemented by the government.

Of the RM1.035 billion allocated for SCORE this year, RM414 million has been channelled to the Sarawak state government to start initial work for all the nine projects suggested by the state government under SCORE.

Implementation of the projects would have high impact on the people, especially people residing in the central region, covering Bintulu, Mukah, Miri, Sibu, kapit and Sarikei, in business and employment aspects, he said.

The nine recommended projects are building an access road to the Murum Dam project site in Kapit; access road to Kapit town; access road to Baram Dam in Miri; access road to Baleh Dam site, access road to Limbang Dam; build a road to Tunoh, Kapit; build a new airport in Mukah; provide piped water supply to Samalaju; and build Samalaju industrial estate.

KUCHING, May 4 (Bernama) -- Hock Seng Lee Bhd, the Sarawak-based marine engineering specialist which has RM1.7 billion worth of projects in hand, is eyeing opportunities from the recently announced economic stimulus package for 2009-2010 and the implementation of the Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy (Score).

Its managing director Datuk Paul Yu Chee Hoe, expressed confidence that Sarawak would continue to require the company's reclamation and construction services for such initiatives, including Score's development of the still remote areas of the central region and efforts to provide greater linkages between energy-producing hubs and larger cities which hold out the promise of infrastructure and construction works.

"The value of our projects in hand is at a record high, keeping our people and our machinery busy but with the economic downturn, the situation is challenging and we have to be vigilant on cost controls, keeping financing and cash-flow issues uppermost on our minds," he said in the company's latest annual report released here today.

The company's shares on Bursa Malaysia were traded four sen higher at 70 sen at 11.06 am today.

HSL currently has RM1.7 billion worth of projects in hand, including RM905 million secured in 2008, with the RM452 million contract for the first phase of a comprehensive centralised sewage system for Kuching city notable among the new projects.

"We have commenced work on phase one of Kuching's centralised waste water management project and our site operations are presently focused at the treatment plant site near to the Tun Salahuddin toll-bridge, with survey and setting out of the first piping routes later this year," he said.

Yu said that last year, eight projects worth RM136 million were completed, including three major Public Works Department road contracts in Samarahan and Mukah as well as dredging works for Kuching Port Authority.

Looking ahead, he said the company needed to exercise business acumen to confront procurement and financial management as the credit market was tight and public sector budgets under pressure.

He cited the drastic fluctuation in material prices last year which was impossible to forecast.

"For example between the end of 2006 and mid-2008, that is between the time of tendering or negotiating many contracts and their actual execution, the market price for diesel increased from RM1.58 per litre to RM3.60 per litre, steel from RM1,800 per tonne to RM4,200 per tonne and cement from RM247 per tonne to RM275 per tonne" he said.

HSL group's revenue amounted to RM309.07 million in 2008, up 25 percent from 2007's revenue of RM248.17 million while profit before tax rose to RM56.46 million from RM53.7 million.

While foreign ambassadors and high commissioners had been briefed on it, he said more briefings were scheduled during the Malaysia-China Business Council annual joint council meeting and the Malaysia-China business forum here in August.

Dr Chan, who is also the state Industrial Development Minister, said companies and members of the business chambers in China would be invited to the forum.

Since its launch 15 months ago, Dr Chan said SCORE was progressing well, based on the many enquiries received from potential investors.

“We are confident that investments coming into SCORE will generate new business and job opportunities for Sarawakians,’’ he said, adding that the government would carry out a comprehensive human capital development plan to support the industries in SCORE.

A consultant had predicted that SCORE would create 1.6 million jobs by 2030.

“This high level of foreign investments indicates that the new strategy of the state government to attract more FDIs by tapping our rich natural resources, such as hydro-electricity, coal and silica sand, is the right approach,” he said, adding that the investments came mainly from Austra*lia, China, Japan and the Netherlands.

Naim plans eyeing major infrastructure and property projects in Sarawak
By JACK WONG

KUCHING: Construction company Naim Holdings Bhd is eyeing major infrastructure and property development projects in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

Senior vice-president/director Ahmad Abu Bakar said Naim was in talks with state agencies and other interested parties on several development proposals within SCORE.

“However, discussions are still at the preliminary stage,” he told StarBiz.

SCORE will be driven by the development of Sarawak’s abundant hydro and coal resources to generate electricity to power energy-intensive industries, like alunimium smelters, to be set up with the regional economic development belt.

Sarawak is now building the proposed Murum dam – which could generate about 900MW - in the upper Rejang Basin in central Sarawak. Murum is located upstream of the on-going Bakun hydroelectric dam project capable of generating up to 2,400MW.

Several other hydro dam projects have also been planned in the upper reaches of the Rejang River.

To provide accessibility to these proposed dam sites, Sarawak Second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh said recently that six major road projects, with a combined length of 403km, within SCORE would be built.

The design for the access road from Jalan Bakun extended to Murum has been completed while other proposed access roads are still being designed.

Meanwhile, Naim was close to securing two road projects worth RM250mil in Sarawak, said Ahmad. The projects are funded by the federal government under the stimulus package.

He said Naim had an outstanding net order book of RM2.5bil that could keep the group busy in the next five years.

Ahmad said Naim sold 633 houses and shophouses worth RM165mil last year. For the 2009 first quarter, it raked in some RM26mil from the sales of 103 such properties.

“Our target this year is to sell 800 units, 80% of them residential homes. Unsold houses (mostly high end), commerical units and detached lots are worth about RM20mil,’’ he said, adding that the company was carrying out various promotion activities to attract buyers.

Ahmad said Naim would save at least RM5mil this year through a series of cost-cutting measures introduced last year.

Naim posted a group net profit of RM83mil on a turnover of RM524mil for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2008 compared with RM80mil and RM646mil respectively in 2007.

For the first quarter ended March 31, Naim chalked up a group net profit of RM17mil on revenue of RM95mil.

Naim’s 36%-owned Dayang Enterprise Holdings Bhd contributed RM22mil in net profit to the group last year.

THE Sarawak Regional Economic Development Authority (Recoda) has approved 24 investments worth over RM80 billion for implementation in the state's new economic growth area, the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) over the next five years.

The projects are estimated to generate over 20,000 jobs, excluding preparation of the basic infrastructure and plant site and construction of the factories.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said the two biggest projects approved are an aluminium smelter in Mukah and a polysilicon plant in Bintulu.

Press Metal Bhd's aluminium smelter has a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year and is expected to start production in August, with an initial production of 50,000 tonnes per year.

On the Tanjung Manis halal hub, which is projected to draw some RM10 billion in investments, Taib said so far some RM400 million have been invested in the hub that covers an area of 16,000ha.

"This is out of the RM2 billion to be invested (in the hub) in the next five years," he told reporters after chairing Recoda's first meeting in Kuching yesterday.

Construction of the halal hub laboratory is expected to start at the end of this month or early next month.

"I hope by 2013, things would be visible on the ground," Taib said.

Recoda, which manages and promotes the development of Score, has spent about RM1 billion in preparing the authority and providing the basic infrastructure in the corridor since its formation two years ago.

These include manpower planning and training, the building of the Mukah airport, planning and designing of the roads to Baram and Murum, and setting up the industrial parks such as the 6,000ha Similajau industrial park in Bintulu.

Taib said the tender to construct the road to Murum, where a hydroelectric dam is to be built to provide some of the huge amount of energy needed to run the power hungry industries in the corridor, would be out later this year.

He also announced that state secretary Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot would be appointed as the general manager of Recoda when he retires in August.

Recoda on its website states that its primary goal is to create 1.5 million new jobs in Score and drive the state to achieve an average gross domestic product growth of 5.5 per cent per year by 2030.

To achieve that, it projects an investment of RM305 billion over the next 20 years.